Biography
Charles Errard, born in Nantes in 1606 and died in Rome in 1689, was a French painter and architect. In his youth, he was trained by his father, also a painter. They went to Rome together, and Charles Errard's stay lasted some fifteen years. On his return to Paris, Charles Errard helped found the Academy royale de peinture et de sculpture. In a letter dated 1659, Louis XIV appointed him "Premier Peintre de ses Bâtiments" (First Painter of his Buildings). He then became the first director of the Academy of France in Rome, in 1666 until 1672, then from 1675 to 1684. He directed some of the most prestigious decorative projects of his time, and was one of Charles le Brun's rivals. He produced monumental paintings for the Palais Royal, the Louvre and the Tuileries, as well as plans for the Church of the Assumption in Paris.